Ted Cruz Endorsed By Bob Vander Plaats

Vander Plaats helms The Family Leader,
an Iowa-based conservative group.

A two-time unsuccessful gubernatorial
candidate, Vander Plaats' endorsement is highly sought in Iowa.
During the two previous election cycles, he backed Iowa caucus
winners Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012.

“Our goal is to unite conservatives
around Ted Cruz,” Vander Plaats said Thursday. “We believe he'll
be the nominee to take on and defeat Hillary Clinton.”

According to the latest Monmouth
Poll, Cruz leads Donald Trump in Iowa by 5 percentage points.

Vander Plaats is an outspoken opponent
of marriage equality and his group led the fight to unseat three Iowa
Supreme Court justices over their participation in the court's
unanimous 2009 ruling striking down the state's law limiting marriage
to heterosexual couples.